Mountain Bike Trails in Te Mata Peak

Central Track

Double/farm track that's an option for climbing back up to the water tanks after descending Te Ihu. A non-technical walking/running track compared with others in the park which have more exposure and technicality. For riders some sections are very steep and all but the fittest may prefer to get off and push or take a breather, particularly the rutted and lumpy final climb. It crosses the descending Te Kahu track near the top, so watch for riders heading downhill at pace. From a riding perspective, due to the steepness, traction, and state of the surface in places it's more of an intermediate track compared with other green trails in the park like Chambers Walkway.

Chambers Walkway

Shared use trail.

Hikanui to Tauroa Connector

Flow trail descending from Hikanui Drive to Tauroa Road. Use to link with the Tauroa Stream Track or carry on to bottom of Te Mata Park.

Kowhai Climb

Uphill access for Te Kahika track (new at end of 2020). A couple of steep pinch gradients. Crosses lower Te Kahu at the bottom and Te Kahika itself near the top - look out for downhill riders.

Lower Carpark to Kowhai Link

Lower Downhill Loop Return

Short section of multi-use track to lap the lower portion of the downhill track.

Lower Te Kahu (BMC)

Bike only, down direction only towards Tauroa Road carpark. Can be slippery and narrow in the trees with some alternate advanced lines, including an optional step up where the A line crosses over the B line. Once you exit the trees there is an easy (left) and a hard (right) line. The hard line has some drops and rollable doubles and an optional skinny that finishes with a significant drop. The easy line is more of a pump track where the rollers can be doubled, and an optional rock feature wallride of sorts. A nice transfer from right line to left line is available for the eagle-eyed. Both lines cross the Kowhai Climb so keep an eye out for uphill riders approx 200m after exiting the trees.

Ngati Hori

Be aware of the numerous chutes and drops along this trail. This is a Grade 6 (extreme) trail, on the steepest of terrain with three jumps about 2m high. Ngati Hori is not for the faint-hearted nor the inexperienced, but it does have Grade 4 chicken lines around the jumps Try them when you are ready or wait to watch someone else.

Steep Uphill

Shared walking / biking track. Bikes UPHILL ONLY.

Tainui Reserve Access Track

Multi-use two-way route from Keith Sands Grove to the bottom of the downhill track.

Tainui Reserve Downhill

Not a DH track, this is a down direction flow trail. Rainbow berms, doubleable woops, a bunch of fun.

Tamariki Ako (Kid's Bike Track)

Tauroa Stream Track

Fun and slightly awkward track that follows the stream. Some tricky pinch climbs, a couple of fast jumps and chutes, some techy XC sections, and a very steep climb to finish, kind-of everything in one short trail.

Te Aratipi

Built by Southstar Trails for the Te Mata Peak Trust Board, December 2016. This easy climb takes riders from the Chambers Walk access track up to the Tanks carpark.

Te Ihu

The original MTB track in Te Mata Park, and one of the first purpose-built MTB tracks in NZ. This track was built in the late 1980's by PD workers (exact date unknown). As a result it has a very old school design - very narrow bench by modern standards, steep, not a lot of flow; you are on the brakes a lot and constantly having to check line choice for risk of falling off the side. There have been some improvements with the addition of Bus Stop features near the top, and a large S-bend to replace the original cross valley chute about 1/3 way down. This track is great as nostalgic experience bringing back memories of when MTBing still was a fringe activity rather than a sport; just don't expect a 'fun' ride in the modern sense of a MTB track. Dust off that fully rigid bike with 1.5" wide tyres and v-brakes and see if you can ride it like the pioneers.

Te Ihu link to Te Kahu

Te Kahika

New end of 2020. Flow/Jump trail with tables, hips, double-able rollers, step-ups and step-downs to throw shapes on. Gradient is on the steep side for this sort of trail so watch your speed because you could easily overcook a couple of corners, especially when dusty. Last step-down has a rather flat landing.

Te Kahu / BMC

This fun intermediate level descent begins at the Tanks carpark on Te Mata Peak Road and descends down the valley with fun swoopy berms and jumps. It then joins the BMC track.

Te Mata Ridge

Singletrack that goes from Tanks carpark to top of Black Barn road. Mostly traverse with a few steep fast sections. Several a-frame / ladder bridges cross fences - caution on back side as transitions are quite abrupt.

Trench Track

Short section that drops down to join with the end of Te Kahu. Significant optional gap/drop to riders left near the bottom.